Sheet-delivery apparatus for use on printing machines



Sept. 17, 1929. A w, RANGER 1,728,444

SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR USE ON PRINTING MACHINES Filed March 16, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l I O 0 g: 5'? a E 52 c 1 to q u .93 10 0 co d) In --Q OII=II Sept. 17, 1929. A. w. RANGER 1,728,444

SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR USE ON PRINTING MACHINES Filed March 16, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I m m2 cm W n n H m H H m I F iflh b w l 5C1. I F M m h n fifim U mu 6 n v m n h. g wfi A v u n E \l V b u m U I E A mm fl H n Z E H m mm Ii? 5 1+ 5 T\ n 2? El F E u m n A H m w h u M H n Sept. 17, 1929.

SHEET DELIVERY A. W. RANGER Filed March 16, 1928 APPARATUS FOR USE ON PRINTING MACHINES 4 sheets-sheet '5 Sept. 17, 1929. A. w. RANGER 1,728,444

SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR USE ON PRINTING MACHINES Filed arch 16, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.8. 41 12 27 1 64 Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES ARTHUR WILLARD RANGER, or Lennon, ENGLAND SHEET-DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR USE ON PRINTING MACHINES Application filed March 16, 1928, Serial No. 262,173, and in Great Britain January 8, 1926.

The invention relates to sheet delivery apparatus more particularly suitable for flat bed and off-set printing machines having constantly rotating impression cylinders, for ex- ,5 ample, so called two-revolution cylinder printing machines, and comprises subject matter divided out-from my co-pending application, Serial No. 159,197, wherein sheet delivery apparatus is described, the object of which is to remove the sheets from the impression cylinder or blanket cylinder and transfer them to a piling table without making rubbing contact with any part.

l/Vith a similar object in view and also with the object of avoiding the defects attendant on the use of strippers and propelling rollers or tapes usually employed for removing the sheets from constantly rotating impression cylinders such as rubbing of the sheets and loss of time in making readydue to the neces sity for temporary removal of the strippers, the present invention consists in the combination of parts arranged for operation substantially as hereinafter described and claimed in the appendedclaims.

' In the accompanying drawings:

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively aside sectional elevation and a plan showing one form of the invention applied to a two-revolution to printing machine, only sufficient parts of the machine beingindicated to render the description clear, c I

Figures 3 and 4 being respectively a side sectional elevation and a plan illustrating the 5 principal parts of the sheet delivery apparatus. I

Figure 5 is a side elevation of mechanism for operating the tapes of the reciprocatory carrier. I

Figure 6 is a sectional plan on VI-VI, Figure 3, of one of the side connections between the gripper carrying frame and the reciprocatory carrier.

Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the apparatus;

1 represents the impression cylinder. 58 are grippers mounted on a shaft 59 carried in a frame 60 and adapted to co-operate with a bar 60 forming part of this frame. The grippers are intended to grip each sheet and draw it from the cylinder 1. Such a form of gripper mechanism is well known in the art and the means for opening and closing the grippers are omitted for sake ofxclearness. The frame slides to and fro horizontally in guide frames or channels 61 being reciprocated by the reeiprocatory carrier as hereinafter explained. The frame 60 has a cross bar 62 provided with spaced blocks 63 to which a set of tapes 64 is secured, the tapes 60 being wound on spring rollers 65 mounted on a shaft 66, whichis carried in sideplates 67 formed on the forward ends of bars 67 carrying the channels 61. The outer ends of the bars 67' are pivoted on the main framing '70 of the machine. The bars 67 with the channels61 and other parts carried thereby are periodically raised and lowered, for a purpose hereinafter explained, by a cam 116 mounted on a shaft 117 which extends across the ma,- chine and is supported in bearings in the main frame of the machine. i g i A lever 118 is mounted on a shaft 119 supported by the main, frame of the machine. The lever 118 has a roller 120 bearing on the cam 116. Levers 132 fixed on theshaft 119 are connected byconnecting r0ds121 to the side plates 67. I v

y A bar 68 provided with spaced blocks-69 is mounted on the stationary main framing 70 of the machine. I v

A set of tapes 71 is provided,and these tapes are secured at their inner ends to the blocks 69 and are secured at their other ends and wound on springrollers 7 2 mounted on a shaft 73 carried by slide blocks? 4 sliding in guides or channels 75. g

The blocks 74 are formed as extensions of the frame 40 ofa reciprocatory endless tape carrier 40, comprising rollers42, and 43 and tapes 41. In the present example the carrier 40 is shown to be reciprocated by toothed wheels 122 meshing with racks 123 formed on the frame 40'of the carrier. The wheels 122 are rotated first in one direction and then in the other by a toothed sector 124 meshing with a small pinion 125 on theshaft 126 of the wheels 122, the shaft 126 being mounted in the stationary framing 70 of the machine. c The sector 124 is carried by a lever 127 pivoted 100 on a shaft 128 carried by the main framing and having a roller 129 in contact with a cam 130 on the shaft 117. A spring 131 is attached at one end to the lever 127 and at the other end to the framing 70.

It 1s to be understood that this mechanism for reciprocating the carrier 40 is only an example as other means for performing the same function will be obvious to a person skilled in the art.

The reciprocatory carrier 40 is utilized to reciprocate the gripper frame 60 and also the tape carrying bar 62, which at each end has a groove 62 for the reception of a tongue 74 on the end of the adjacent slide block 74, as shown more clearly in Figure 6, but indicated in dotted lines in Figures 3 and 4.

The carrier 40 co-operates with the tapes 71 advancing to the right hand of the drawings to receive the sheets from the tapes 71 and moving to the left hand to convey the sheets to the usual piling table at the rear of the machine, the tapes 41 of the carrier 40 being given a travelling movement at the correct time to take the sheets without rubbing contact as they are relinquished by the tapes 71 and also to deliver them onto the piling table.

Means for operating the tapes 41 of the reciprocatory carrier 40 are shown in Figure 5.

Two sprockets mounted on the ends of the rollers 42, 43, are connected by an endless chain 46. A detent 45 pivoted on a stationary support 89 engages with the chain. When the carrier moves in a direction away from the impression cylinder, namely, during the outward stroke, the detent 45 slips on the chain 46 and so far as this detent 45 is concerned no travelling motion is imparted to the tapes 41 over their rollers 42, 43. On the inward stroke of the carrier the detent 45 penetrates a link in the chain until arrested by a stop 47 and this holds the chain so that the rollers 42, 43, are rotated to travel the tapes 41.

In operation the sheet is gripped by the grippers 58 and taken off the impression cylinder 1 in a horizontal direction (towards the left of'Figures 1, 2 and 3), the tapes 64 being at the same time drawn out to the left to receive the sheet which is deposited on it without any rubbing contact or relative movement between sheet and tapes. While this occurs the tapes 71 are also drawn out to the left. At the end of this operation the bar 67 and parts carried thereby descend so that the sheet on the tapes 64 is deposited on to the tapes 71.

The carrier 40 and the rollers 7 2 now ad- Vance together to the right (of Figures 1, 2 and 3), whereupon the tapes 41 travel over the rollers 42, 43, so that the sheet relinquished by the tapes 71 is simultaneously taken up or received by the tapes 41 of the carrier 40 without rubbing contact.

011 the next movement of the carrier 40 to the left the sheet is carried on the carrier, but the tapes 41 do not travel on their rollers. When the carrier reaches the limit of its movement to the left and again starts to move to the right, the tapes 40 again travel over the rollers 42, 43, so that the sheet is moved nearer to the left hand end of the carrier, so that on a subsequent movement of the carrier to the right the sheet is discharged from the carrier onto the piling table.

The general operation will be more clearly understood from the diagrams in Figures 7 to 10.

With the parts in the positions indicated in Figure 7 and assumed to be moving to the left, a sheet S is being drawn off the impression cylinder 1 by the grippers 58, the tapes 64 being drawn out to receive it without rubbing contact, the sheet S being shown released and the tapes 64 as well as the tapes 71 being shown fully drawn out in Figure 8.

The tapes 64 then descend to a position below the tapes 71 so that the sheet S is deposited onthe tapes 71, whereupon the parts move to the right as indicated in Figure 9. During this movement the tapes 71 roll up on the rollers 72 and the tapes 41 of the carrier 40 travel over the rollers 42, 43 so that the sheet S is relinquished by the tapes 71 and received by the tapes 41 without rubbing contact. The parts are shown at the extreme position to the right in Figure 10, the sheet S being wholly on the tapes 41 of the carrier 40.

On the neXt movement of the carrier 40 to the left the sheet is merely carried to the left by the carrier as indicated by broken lines at S, Figures 7 and 8; but on the following movement of the carrier 40 to the right the sheet is advanced to the left relatively to the carrier as indicated at S in Figures 9 and 10. On subsequent reciprocations of the carrier the sheet assumes successively the positions indicated by the dotted lines S Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10, being delivered to the pipe P.

Each sheet is thus taken from the impression cylinder and deposited on the pile without sliding or rubbing against any fixed part and it is reciprocated on the carrier for several strokes, so that the ink has time to set.

tis possible to take off the sheet at the speed of the impression cylinder and the delivery of the sheets by the reciprocatory endless tape carrier may be at arelatively low speed. This is important when printing on very thin or very thick paper as it avoids shifting or buckling of the sheets when a high printing speed is adopted.

I claim:

1. A sheet delivery apparatus for a print ing machine comprising reciprocatory grippers for taking off a sheet from the cylinder of the machine, tapes adapted to be drawn out simultaneously with said grippers to receive said sheet, a tape support of the roller blind type adapted to be extended below the aforesaid tapes, means for depressing the aforesaid tapes between the tapes of said support for the purpose of depositing said sheet thereon, and a reciprocatory endless tape carrier adapted to co-operate with said support to receive the sheet therefrom and to deliver it to the piling table, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. A sheet delivery apparatus for a printing machine comprising means including grippers for gripping a sheet and withdrawing it from the cylinder of the machine without making rubbing contact with anypart,

tapes adapted to be drawn out simultaneously with said grippers to receive saidsheet, a tape support of the roller blind type adapted to be extended below the aforesaid tapes, means for depressing the aforesaid tapes between the tapes of said support for the purpose of depositing said sheet thereon, and a reciprocatory endless tape carrier adapted to co-operate with said support so that as said support rolls up and relinquishes the sheet,

the tapes of said carrier travel relatively to their rollers and are thereby extended beneath the sheet to receive it without rubbing contact between said sheet and the tapes of said carrier.

8. A sheet delivery apparatus for a printing machine having a constantly rotating impression cylinder, comprising means including grippers for gripping a sheet and withdrawing it from the impression cylinder without making rubbing contact with any part, tapes adapted to be drawn out simultaneously with said grippers to receive said sheet, a tape support of the roller blind type adapted to be extended below the aforesaid tapes, means for depressing the aforesaid tapes between the tapes of said support for the purpose of depositing the sheet thereon, and an endless tape carrier, means for reciprocating said carrier relatively to said support, means for moving the tapes of said carrier while it moves towards and follows said support to enable a sheet relinquished by the support to besimultaneously received by the tapes of the carrier without rubbing contact 5 and to eflect the discharge from said carrier of a sheet previously received by it from said support, means for freeing the tapes during the outward reciprocatory movement of said carrier so that the tapes thereof do not travel relatively to their rollers during this outward movement, and means for effecting a travelling movement of the tapes of the carrier dur ing the inward movement thereof for the pur pose of depositing the sheets on the pile, sub

stantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR WILLARD RANGER. 

